The need of the hour for India is pace: Brett Lee

Former Australia pacer Brett Lee feels India will need their pacers to be at the top of their game if they are to successfully defend the ICC Cricket World Cup. India come in to the quadrennial event with a number of headaches over their form and their bowlers' inability to trouble batsmen. Lee, who was part of the triumphant 2003 Australia World Cup squad, underlined Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav as the men who should take the lead role in the Indian attack. "I think what India needs to do is ensure that the fast bowlers are fully fit. Ishant Sharma, to me, could be a bowler that could play a huge role along with someone like Yadav, who was rested for the recent match in Perth. Now whether he was injured or whether he was pre-rested to be ready for this World Cup campaign... the need of the hour for India is pace," said Lee. "Out here, they need quick bowlers, who can bowl good bouncers and have a good slower delivery in their armoury along with the skills to bowl during the death overs. What I mean by bowl at the death is to be able to deliver fast 145kph yorkers that can knock out a team. This is because they are not playing on wickets like those in India that are dusty and the ball turns and swings. Here, they would be playing on wickets that are conducive to fast bowling. They need good, young fast bowlers," Lee added. Lee refused to predict which team would clinch the Cup on March 29, the date of the summit clash, saying that the complete team in the mega-event would hold aloft the coveted trophy. "I've said it all along that the team that will win the trophy on March 29th will be the most complete team. So that doesn't mean on paper they are the best cricket nation, it doesn't even mean that that every player is a superstar in that team. What it means is that the team, which over the course of the seven weeks of World Cup, plays the best cricket on every particular match day is the champion. I think Australia has a great chance of winning the World Cup just like India, South Africa and New Zealand," he summed up.